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Explainer | How the Mahathir-Anwar relationship shaped Malaysia’s politics
- Long-standing tensions between the veterans have a large part to play in whether the opposition can wrest power from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin
- After setting aside their rivalry during the watershed 2018 elections, they are once again at loggerheads over potential premiership
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Malaysia’s turbulent political scene is the arena for warring factions from both the government and the opposition, but one rivalry stands out amid the machinations to consolidate power – that between ex-premier and elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad and his former deputy, democracy icon Anwar Ibrahim.
The long-standing tensions between the two politicians have an almost mythical status, beginning as they did in the 1990s and continuing to play out before the eyes of a new generation of voters.
As Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition attempts to wrest power from the ruling Perikatan Nasional alliance and “return the mandate to the people”, questions of who will take the helm from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin continue to plague the opposition – which many political watchers feel still needs Mahathir’s firepower and experience to carry it through.
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Muhyiddin, who came to the role in March following an internal coup in Mahathir’s party, is working to shore up support from his old allies turned nemeses turned allies once more – the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) and right-wing Islamic party PAS.
02:22
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigns, party quits ruling coalition
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigns, party quits ruling coalition
WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS BETWEEN ANWAR AND MAHATHIR?
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